We Are Grateful for the Opportunity to Play

Written by: Sabrina Sclater | Photography by: Nino Cintron

As Covid-19 continues to challenge our collective society, Bishop Kenny’s girls’ basketball team has had to undergo an adaptive athletic season. With safety and precaution being at the forefront of importance, a few scheduled games have had to be canceled. Additionally, with players being quarantined due to contact tracing, readjusting to the available personnel is a common reality faced by most athletic teams. However, despite these challenges, Coach Chelsea Clark remains optimistic and has even established a few goals for her team this season:

“Win a 4th consecutive District Title, win a 3rd consecutive Regional Title, and enjoy playing with each other during this crazy year,” said Clark.

Clark, the sixth season head coach for the Bishop Kenny girls’ basketball team, has an incredible passion for motivating her team. She would describe her leadership philosophy and style as “servant leadership”. With this, she strives to produce more than just a “winning team”. For her, developing and cultivating a team of young athletes who are driven and motivated beyond the scopes of sports and athletic excellence is more valuable.

“My ultimate challenge to my players is to be the best possible version of themselves,” said Clark. “Our staff works tirelessly to mentor, motivate, encourage them to be great human beings.”

As a head coach, Clark looks for three things in a player: a competitive mindset, a coachable spirit and a relentless work ethic. Senior captain Ivy Saig embodies these traits. Saig is described as being the glue and backbone of the team. “She’s what most coaches would call a role model” remarks Clark.

Concluding the 2019-2020 season, the Crusaders finished with an overall record of 22-10 with repeat trips to the final four; showing they could overcome the adversity they faced. Despite being a new team plagued with injuries along the way, three out of their six seniors went on to play college basketball.

As for the 2020-2021 season, Bishop Kenny continues to dominate, showcasing their great scoring abilities- which can be noted as their greatest strength this season. Three of the Crusade’s players, Jasmyne Roberts, Jamia Nesmith, and Maddie Millar, have incredibly diverse scoring capabilities. Because they score in different ways, the team can gain a lot of leverage on their competitors.

Moving into the new year, the team is now focusing on “moving without the ball” (Clark).

“Right now, we are focusing a lot in practice on read [and] react principles so that we are playing with more of a natural freedom rather than confines to offensive sets,” said Clark.

Senior Jasmyne Roberts has hit her shocking career milestone with an incredible 2,000 points. Roberts has signed to the University of Miami where she will continue her basketball career. Senior Jamia Nesmith along with Junior Maddie Millar have also hit their incredible career milestone entering the 1,000 points club. Nesmith has also signed, committing to the University of Charleston where she will continue her athletic career.

As the season continues for the Crusades, they are currently ranked fifth overall in the Florida Division 4A. Entering the District tournament, the Crusades are currently ranked No.1 with a phenomenal start in the 4A District going 1-0 collecting a 3-win streak.

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